TEES TECH AWARDS 2021
BEST DIGITAL PROJECT / CAMPAIGN
SPONSORED BY TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY
FINALIST
IN STUDIO
Winner – Laura Woods of Teesside University with Salesfire ’ s James Lees .
WINNER
SALESFIRE UK
Created in lockdown , Salesfire UK ’ s new “ TrendDesk ” serves as a “ light at the end of the tunnel ” for the ecommerce and retail sectors , keeping them informed , positive and forward-thinking during uncertain times .
The innovative feature provides the latest ecommerce trends and benchmarking data , all in one place , while users can also benchmark their firm ’ s performance against data in real-time .
Every team at Middlesbrough-based Salesfire worked on the inception of the platform , from the tech team to design , marketing and business development , who showed the product to potential clients to demonstrate that things were continually improving .
And as Salesfire expands within the ecommerce industry and finalises expansion to the USA , Europe and Asia , it ’ s a certainty that TrendDesk will join the company on its journey , becoming a thought leader across the globe and analysing real-time data worldwide .
James Lees , head of client services , said : “ We are over the moon to win this award . We put a lot of work into the project , starting in lockdown last year , trying to build confidence in ecommerce , and it has paid dividends .
“ This started as a side project to build confidence in ecommerce during a difficult time and to be now acknowledged for what we have done is massive for us .”
CEO Rich Himsworth added : “ We ’ ve built on last year and we are proud but we are also humble . We just keep our heads down and get on with our jobs .”
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
Teesside University director of academic enterprise , Laura Woods , said : “ Teesside University is a long-standing supporter of the region ’ s thriving digital sector . We ’ ve seen so many of our talented graduates take their tech skills into the workforce and launch their own exciting new digital companies , so it was really important for us to be involved to show our continuous support and celebrate their fantastic achievements . The vitality and ingenuity of entries for the Best Digital Project / Campaign certainly made it a difficult category to judge . We would like to congratulate all finalists and , of course , worthy winners Salesfire , who took the crown home for their innovative TrendDesk platform .”
In November 2020 , Mark Rycraft , centre manager at Middleton Grange Shopping Centre , asked Hartlepool ’ s In Studio to take his Giving Tree charity online .
Within two weeks , an online platform had been designed , built and donated that allowed Hartlepool residents to gift toys to disadvantaged children across the region from the comfort and safety of their own homes . The website was designed to randomly generate a group of tags , each with a toy and child , for users to choose from . A generated numerical code was then given to match them to their chosen toy . Around 174,000 toys were received through the website , helping ensure no child went without at Christmas .
FINALIST
APPAMONDO
A Middlesbrough-based technology service provider whose clients include global brands in multiple sectors , Appamondo was asked to create a help desk for Northern Rail that could enable the transfer of customer ownership from Arriva plc to the Department for Transport .
Such a project would normally take a minimum of 20 working days . Appamondo had just seven – and they delivered !
At a time when our mayors are pushing Tees Valley as a centre of excellence and encouraging the UK government to invest in the region and relocate departments and resources , it ’ s great to see a local company delivering such a prestigious project involving the first rail franchise to be taken back into government ownership .
30 | Tees Business